Gathering table



Filed March 23, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. (fa/w, a6. JZ y/a ATIQRNEY Oct. 8, 1935. c. L. TAYLOR 2,016,524

GATHERING TABLE Filed March 23, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY);

anism or Patented Oct. 8, 1935 I INITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GATHERING TABLE Clarence L. Taylor, Youngstown, Ohio, assignor to The Aetna Standard Engineering Company, Youngstown, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application March 23, 1932, Serial No. 600,731

13 Claims.

This invention relates to gathering tables, such as are commonly employed for the reception of the table in rapid mills in succession, as from feed mechalignment with the table.

The table comprises two sections divided longitudinally by a suitable partition, and the hot bars are permitted to gather first on one section of the table and then on the other. While one section is thus being filled, the bars are removed from the other section.

The bars move so rapidly over the table, that unless provision is made to retard their movement, they may strike a usually provided barrier or stop which is at the rear end of the table,

with such force as to distort or otherwise damage the bars.

An object of the present invention is to provide means for retarding the movement of the bars in order to prevent damage thereto caused by the striking of the bars against or other parts of the barrier or stop the table. To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, said invention,

then, consists of the means hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The annexed scription set forth drawings and the following dein detail certain structure embodying the invention, such disclosed means constituting, how

ever, but one of various structural forms in which the principle of the invention may be used.

In said annexed drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan ment of bars fed view of a gathering table showing the novel mechanism for retarding the moveto the table; Fig. 2 is a transverse cross section through the table showing the mechanism for bi the retarding bars to the asing dotted line position shown 1n Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary cross on the line 3--3 of Fig.

section through the table, taken 1; Fig. 4 is a view in side Referring more will be seen that particularly to the drawings, it

the gathering table I is made of a number of separate sections which are supported in alignment with each other on a series of longitudinally extending H-beams 2.

ble sections have The taaligned side guides 3, and sections 4, forming a longitudinally extending central partition which divides the table proper into two parts.

At spaced poin ts along the side guides 3 are boxes 4a, in which are mounted rollers 5, portions of which extend through the side guides, as shown in Fig. 1.

. Between certain of the sections forming the table top are openings into which rollers 6 ex- 5 tend, these rollers being supported by the table sections in such manner that they may be suitably driven. Mounted directly above certain of the rollers 6, and secured as by bolts 1 to the side guides and central partition are brackets 10 8, the front edges of which are upwardly curved as at M. Freely rotating rollers 9 are journalled in the brackets 8, these rollers being disposed directly above the rollers 6, so as to form therewith a passage for the bars or billets traveling 15 on the table.

The retarding mechanism for each side of the table is identical, and it will therefore be necessary to describe in detail the mechanism for only one side of the table. This mechanism includes a 20 braking lever I0, which is pivotally secured to the central partition 4, as by means of a pin I l. The lever l0 extends under the bracket 8 and to a point just beyond the bracket, where it is pivotally connected to one end of a connecting rod I2. The other end of the connecting rod is pivotally connected to an operating lever l3. On one arm of this lever is suspended a hanger bar M, which supports a number of counter weights iii. The lever I3 is fulcrumed in a shaft l6, and inwardly of the fulcrum, the lever is secured to one end of a connectiing rod 11, the other end of which is secured to a piston 18, operating in an air cylinder 19.

At the beginning of the bar gathering operation, the braking levers Ill occupy the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. Assuming that the bars are traveling in the direction indicated by the arrow B in Fig. 1, it will be seen that the bars strike the lever Ill, which retards their forward movement, and the rollers 6 move the bars into parallelism with the side guides 3. The bars continue to travel slowly until they reach a barrier or stop 20, which is provided at the rear of the table. This stop serves to align the bars, so that they can be moved from the table in one group. As the table becomes filled with bars, the lever I0 is gradually forced to the right until it is substantially parallel with the central partition, as shown in solid lines in Fig. 1. The counterweights is provide the braking action which is essential to the proper operation of the retarding mechanism. After the bars have been removed from the table, release of the air in the cylinder l9 permits the counterweights to return the lever 5 ii) to its initial position. After one side of the table has become filled with bars, the bars are fed to the other side of the table.

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employed instead of the one explained, changes being made as regards the mechanism herein disclosed, provided the means stated by any of the following claims or the equivalent of such stated means be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention:

1. In a gathering table for traveling bars or the like, guide means at one side of said table, roller means for directing said bars towards said guide means, and means for retarding said bars, said last-named means comprising a lever mounted for pivotal movement in the plane of movement of the bars.

2. In a gathering table for traveling bars or the like, guide means at one side of said table, roller means for directing said bars toward said guide means and means for retarding said bars, said last-named means comprising a lever mounted for pivotal movement in the plane of movement of the bars and means for resisting such movement of the lever.

3. In a gathering table for traveling bars or the like, guide means at one side of said table, roller means for directing said bars towards said guide means, and means for retarding said bars, said last-named means comprising a braking lever pivotally secured to the table and extending diagonally across the table when bars are not traveling along the table and progressively movable by pressure of the bars thereagainst to a position substantially parallel with said guide means.

4. In a gathering table for traveling bars or the like, guide means at one side of said table, roller means for directing said bars towards said guide means, and means for retarding said bars, said last-named means comprising a braking lever pivotally secured to the table, and means for forcing the lever to a position in which it extends diagonally across said table.

5. In a gathering table for traveling bars or the like, guide means at one side of said table, roller means for directing said bars towards said guide means, and means for retarding said bars, said last-named means comprising a lever pivotally secured to said table and movable by the traveling bars into a position substantially parallel with said guide means, and counter-weights operative to resist such movement of the lever.

6. In a gathering table for traveling bars or the like, guide means at one side of said table, roller means for directing said bars toward said guide means, and means for retarding said bars, said last-named means comprising a lever pivotally secured to said table, counter-weights for causing said lever to extend diagonally across said table and fluid-pressure means for opposing the movement of said counter-weights.

7. In a gathering table for traveling bars or the like, vertically spaced rollers forming a passage for said bars, means for directing said bars under the upper roller, and means adapted to decrease the rate of speed of said bars as they move to and pass between said rollers.

8. In a gathering table for traveling bars or the like, guide means at one side of said table, rollers for directing said bars toward said guide means, a roller parallel with one of said rollers and spaced'vertically therefrom, means for directing bars under said upper rollers, and means adapted to decrease the rate of speed of said bars as they move to and pass between said rollers.

9. In a gathering table for traveling bars or the like, guide means at one side of said table, a roller for directing said bars towards said guide means, a roll housing disposed over said roller, and a roller journalled in said housing, said housing having a curved surface adapted to direct 1 the bars under the last-named roller.

10. In a gathering table for traveling bars or the like, vertically spaced rollers forming a passage for said bars, and means for retarding said bars, said means comprising a lever mounted for pivotal movement in the plane of movement of said bars and extending into the space between said rollers.

11. In a gathering table for traveling bars or the like, guide means at one side vertically spaced rollers forming a passage for said bars and having axes inclined with respect to said guide means, and means for retarding said bars, said means comprising a lever mounted for pivotal movement in the plane of movement of said bars and extending into the space between said rollers.

12. In a gathering table for traveling bars or the like, guide means at one side of said table, means adapted to direct said bars toward said guide means, means retaining said bars in the same horizontal plane, and means adapted to decrease the speed of said bars as they move over said table.

13. The combination of a table including carrying rollers which are skewed respecting the movement of work delivered thereto, a guard along the side of said table towards which moving work will be laterally urged by the skew of said rollers, a backwardly extending arm pivoted at the side of said table opposite said guard' to swing laterally respecting said rollers and to engage work moving on the latter, a bell-crank adjacent said table and being pivotally fixed so its one lever arm swings laterally, a rod interconnecting said bell-cranks said lever arm and said '1 arm, a weight pivotally suspended from a second lever arm of said bell-crank, a third lever arm projecting from the pivotally fixed said bellcrank, and a motor for moving said lever to lift said weight and swing said arm to an inoperative positon.

CLARENCE L. TAYLOR.

of said table, 

